


Oceans Returning to Shore

by tatertotarmy



Category: Munto (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:47:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26786932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatertotarmy/pseuds/tatertotarmy
Summary: It had been several months since Munto left, and every second, the ache in her chest only grew. It was easy to ignore the first few weeks after the merge. After all, there were plenty of changes to keep her distracted, and she had believed it wouldn’t be long before he walked back into her life. But after the rush calmed and both worlds settled into a road to a new normal, Yumemi was left again with her life, but this time with an empty ache that grew larger with every second.When would he return? Yumemi held another lifetime’s worth of memories and emotions deep in her heart, and it did nothing but emphasize the emptiness that was creeping in on the spot next to her. It was a hole in her heart filled with a deafening silence, like something between her and Munto was washing away like the tide of the sea.--Written for RedWingedAngel002
Relationships: Hidaka Yumemi/Munto
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Oceans Returning to Shore

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RedWingedAngel002](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedWingedAngel002/gifts).



The crash of the waves. The tide slowly receding from shore. Sounds all tracing the line of Yumemi’s back, the sea wind combing through her hair. She looked out to the seagrass that lined the sands, each strand swaying to and fro in the wind. And in the sky, she searched. Not towards the heavens, but towards the horizon. For something. For someone.

“Yumemi! You’re looking the wrong way!”

A sigh drew out of her, and Yumemi mustered a smile as she turned around to see Ichiko on the sand, Suzume already rushing to the water, and an impossibly vast ocean laid out before her, reflecting a land far above the clouds.

“Sorry, the wind’s a little stronger than I thought…” Yumemi spoke, giving an awkward little chuckle at the end. 

Ichiko laughed, walking up and throwing an arm around Yumemi’s shoulders. “That’s just how the beach is! Come on, let’s go! Suzume’s already way out there.”

Yumemi chuckled as Ichiko began walking out to the sea, and she looked out to see Suzume already far out into the waves, bobbing up and down at the edge of the reflection of the land above. And yet...as her eyes traced the reflection, she could only frown.

Yumemi should have been happy to finally visit the beach now. Just how many beach trips had she skipped or stayed beneath an umbrella? How many times had she come to the sea breeze to just avoid both the sight and reflection of a world above nobody else could see? This was the first time in nearly seventeen years that she could go to the beach without a care in the world. And yet, when she saw that reflection off of that big, blue sea, all she could do was sigh.

How long had it been since the worlds merged? How long had it been since she last saw Munto?

It had been several months since Munto left, and every second, the ache in her chest only grew. It was easy to ignore the first few weeks after the merge. After all, there were plenty of changes to keep her distracted, and she had believed it wouldn’t be long before he walked back into her life. But after the rush calmed and both worlds settled into a road to a new normal, Yumemi was left again with her life, but this time with an empty ache that grew larger with every second.

When would he return? Yumemi held another lifetime’s worth of memories and emotions deep in her heart, and it did nothing but emphasize the emptiness that was creeping in on the spot next to her. It was a hole in her heart filled with a deafening silence, like something between her and Munto was washing away like the tide of the sea.

“Yumemi! Are you coming?”

She jumped, seeing Ichiko already at the edge of the water. With another inhale and another thought buried deep in her heart, Yumemi crossed the sand. 

It wasn’t worth thinking about it now. She had come all this way to have some sort of fun here. She couldn’t ruin it with these thoughts.

Even if all she wanted was to see a trace of red in the sky.

“Alright, Yumemi, it’s pretty cold…” A sly look crossed Ichiko’s face, and she extended her hand to Yumemi. “Let’s get in…”

Yumemi looked at Ichiko’s hand, “I’m not sure I trust you on this…”

“Come on!” Ichiko grinned, taking a step closer.

Yumemi gave Ichiko a raised eyebrow, then hesitantly took her hand.

“Got you!” Ichiko’s hand clenched tightly around Yumemi’s as she charged into the cold, salty waters, dragging Yumemi along every step of the way.

“C-Cold!” Yumemi yelped, scrambling to get out of Ichiko’s grip. She pulled and pulled...but her feet slipped on the sand beneath. In seconds, Yumemi fell right down to the shallow sea water, getting completely drenched.

Ichiko broke out into a laugh, standing tall above her.

“Ichiko…” Yumemi whined, slowly getting up and wiping off some sand from her swimsuit.

“Enjoy the water?” Ichiko teased, “Serves you right for getting distracted!” 

Yumemi looked over at her and only answered with a little grumble.

“What? You gotta enjoy yourself at the beach!” Ichiko smiled. “Can’t spend the whole day on the sand. You’re required to enjoy the last bit of summer vacation.”

Yumemi sighed, looking beyond Ichiko to see Suzume sneaking up from behind. Suzume put a finger to her lips, a mischievous look on her face.

“You know...I agree with you…” Yumemi spoke, a sly smirk of her own spreading on her lips.

In seconds, Suzume jumped onto Ichiko’s back and dragged her down into the water.

For the first time in several days, Yumemi burst into laughter, watching Ichiko scramble back to the surface. She smiled, taking in a deep breath and looking out to the view.

And in the corner of her eye was the smallest reflection of red.

Immediately, Yumemi looked up, desperate to find the source. But all that greeted her was a beautiful blue sky, a single island floating above.

\---

“You’ve really been distracted recently, Yumemi.”

“Have I?” Yumemi muttered, looking out the window.

“You have!” Ichiko huffed, sitting right on Yumemi’s desk. “This is worse than when we _couldn’t_ see the Heavens.”

Yumemi sighed, looking out to the cloudy sky, the edge of the land above occasionally peeking through. Honestly, if not for the other gazes joining her own, it was easy to forget that anything _had_ happened all those months ago. 

How long was it now? Seven months? Eight months? 

“I’ve just been thinking…” Yumemi spoke, sighing.

Ichiko looked out the window, frowning, “About him?”

A soft shade of pink graced Yumemi’s face, and slowly she nodded. 

“Ugh…” Ichiko groaned, “What a jerk. How long has it been since we saw him? He hasn’t even come to say hi or anything…”

“Well, I’m sure he has a lot to learn…” Yumemi spoke, “He is the ruler of the-”

“I know that,” Ichiko spoke, “But...he hasn’t even come to see you…” 

Yumemi was silent, just keeping her eyes out the window.

“You know…” Ichiko grinned, a sly look crossing her face. “You could just get a boyfriend. Would serve him right for leaving you for so long.”

“W-What?” Yumemi’s cheeks flushed bright red, “N-No...I can’t!”

“I mean, you two were never official, right?” 

“W-Well...n-no...w-we never…”

She swallowed, her cheeks growing a deeper shade. She and Munto had never been a couple. They had a bond through the memories they shared with each other. Of course, there were times when she _thought_ about bringing it up, but there were so many differences between them. In the realm above, couples never had an ‘official’ or ‘unofficial’ status. Two people who just wished to be together would just...remain together. There were marriage ceremonies, of course, but they were more of a formality. Couples weren’t bound by contracts...they were simply each other's homes.

Though that fact only made Yumemi’s heart hurt even more than the absence itself. If Munto was gone for this long, did he even consider her something close to home?

“Come on, then!” Ichiko winked, “You can’t just wait around for a guy who leaves you for months on end.”

Yumemi firmly shook her head, “I-I’m not going to get a boyfriend.”

Ichiko sighed, standing up and walking away, “Suit yourself. But seriously, Yumemi, you can’t keep looking around for him.”

Couldn’t she? Yumemi swore she could occasionally see shades of red streaking through the sky. Seconds long glimpses in reflections and through windows. Was he actually around, checking in? Or was it just her mind driving her crazy?

And if or when he ever returned to her side...would he consider her his home? She...wanted him to. Yumemi wanted to jump into his arms again and ride in the sky with him, to hear about everything he’d done during his absence. And...she wanted all of those things that couples did. To hold hands. Hold each other.

Kiss. 

Yumemi’s cheeks grew impossibly red, and she abruptly put her head to her desk, covering herself with her school bag. Oh no...she couldn’t think about these things. She would only get her hopes up. After all, she didn’t know when he would return. 

She just wanted him to return. 

But just how long would she wait? How long would she need to hold these as-of-now-unrequited feelings in her heart? 

How long _could_ she keep them contained?

\--

It had been a full year since the merge of Earth and the world above. 

And Yumemi still couldn’t stop looking for whispers of red in the sky. 

Part of her still made peace with her occasional sightings. That maybe it was a sign that Munto was still looking out for her. That Munto was too busy to meet with her, but had just enough time to pass her by in between. 

Of course, Ichiko always said that it was just Yumemi being too hopeful. 

“Yumemi...you’re zoning out again.”

She smiled, looking over at Ichiko, “Was I?”

The three friends were sitting on a hill after school, occasionally shivering in the early spring breeze and talking about the idyllic happenings of school life. Gossip and prodding about Suzume’s latest date with Kazuya, teasing whenever Yumemi was caught with her head in the clouds, and chatting about Ichiko’s latest shift at her job. They sat in the clear daylight, overlooking a river reflecting the floating land above.

“You were,” Ichiko sighed, “I swear, one day you’ll just zone out and not even notice that a storm’s coming.”

“Or she’ll zone out so much she’ll be floating up to the clouds,” Suzume chimed in. 

“I hope not, I don’t think she’ll be able to fly this time!” Ichiko laughed.

“Not unless someone rescues her…” Suzume smiled, looking right at Yumemi.

Yumemi blushed, looking down, “Well…”

“Chance of that is going down,” Ichiko sighed, “It’s been a year.”

“He’d still rescue her, I know it,” Suzume spoke.

Ichiko just chuckled, “You’re really an optimist, aren’t you.”

Suzume just smiled and looked out to the river, her eyes tracing the floating land’s reflection. 

“I don’t think I can ever compete with that attitude,” Ichiko continued, looking over at Yumemi, “Neither of us can, really.”

Yumemi smiled and opened her mouth to say something. But suddenly, a strange breeze swept past the trio. A streak of red shot by the corner of her eye. 

She immediately turned to the sky, again seeing nothing but blue and the island above. She took a breath in. Then out. Maybe it was another delusion. But it felt so different. Like he _had_ to be there.

And then, she heard footsteps from behind. 

In an instant, Yumemi’s entire world froze. Her eyes were locked on the sky, her ears focused on the sound of grass behind her, her entire body focused on the _feeling_ of a new presence behind her. Eyes watching her. She could feel her heartbeat begin to rise, and her cheeks begin to flush. 

Every inch of her knew it was him. But part of her was afraid. What if it was her getting her hopes up again? What if it was another imagined or fleeting vision of red, coming to remind her again of the absence? What if she turned around and he wasn’t there, despite every part of her knowing he was? 

Yumemi took in a deep breath and swallowed, slowly gathering the courage to stand up. Whether it was real or just another wistful hope...she needed to face it. 

She closed her eyes, and slowly turned around. Her eyes opened…

And it was him. 

Munto stood at the top of the hill, dressed in black and looking a little older from the year living in a merged world. His expression was gentle, if not a little hesitant, as he met her eyes.

Yumemi blinked once. And several times more. Munto wasn’t going away. He wasn’t some fleck of dirt in her eye or another figment of her imagination. He was really standing there. Slowly, a bright smile spread on Yumemi’s lips, and she could hear both Suzume and Ichiko make surprised gasps as they turned to see him as well. 

But part of her still needed to know he was there. 

She took a step forward. Then another. And many more as she ran up the hill to meet him, jumping into his arms and holding him tight as the empty part of herself began to fill up and overflow. He was back. He returned to her. He was _home_ , at her side. 

“You’re here…!” Yumemi spoke, all of the longing and empty feelings of the past year pouring out with each syllable. She held him tighter, like he would slip away right between her fingers. 

Munto let out an amused chuckle, wrapping his arms closer around her, “Sorry I kept you waiting.”

“I missed you…” Yumemi took in a shaky breath. “I missed you so much…”

“I missed you, too…”

“H-Hey! It’s you!” Ichiko stood up abruptly behind them, pointing dramatically at the heavenly figure before them. “You…!”

“I knew it!” Suzume declared, putting on a bright smile on her face, “Yumemi didn’t need to float off to space or anything!”

Munto raised an eyebrow, looking down at Yumemi, “Care to explain?”

Yumemi only could laugh softly into his chest.

He let out an amused breath, patting her back and looking out towards the two friends further down the hill, “May I borrow her for a little while…?”

“I-I mean…” Ichiko huffed, crossing her arms, “You have a _lot_ of explaining to do before-”

“Of course!” Suzume spoke, grabbing Ichiko’s shoulder and tugging down, “Have fun!”

Munto nodded, taking a step away from Yumemi and leaning down to scoop her up in his arms. Immediately, Yumemi’s cheeks flushed pink, and she looked away before she could meet his eyes. After such a long time apart...Yumemi felt overwhelmed. Like even this small amount of familiar contact would make her heart burst. 

Still, she managed to muster a small wave to her friends, trying to ignore the teasing look on Suzume’s face. 

And in seconds, Munto took to the skies, with Yumemi nestled safely in his arms. She jumped from the long-forgotten feeling of flying through the skies, and quickly looped her arms over Munto’s neck to give her some semblance of balance. 

He only reacted with a laugh, which only made her blush intensify. 

“D-Don’t laugh…!” Yumemi whined, “It’s been so long…”

“Well, you were so calm all that time before,” Munto teased, “You really lose your flying legs so soon?”

“A year is not soon, Munto.”

Munto chuckled, though his expression soon faded, “I know. And I’m sorry for having you wait so long.”

“It’s okay,” Yumemi frowned, peeking up at him, “I know you were doing something important.”

But...did it really need to take an entire year? It was an unspoken question, one that made her look away once more. She knew she needed to understand. There were important things that he needed to take care of, especially after the merge of two completely different worlds. But still...the selfish part of her wanted to know why. Why couldn’t she see him for so long? Why was she kept waiting?

Munto was silent, and she could feel his eyes on her. For a while, only the breeze followed her words as Munto ascended higher and higher into the sky, giving Yumemi a clear view of the city below. And as the land above began to draw closer...Munto stopped, hovering in the sky between.

“I wanted to visit you, really,” Munto began, looking out to the world below, “But...I wanted to see you again once I was really prepared as the ruler. There was so much to do, I can hardly even recount the entire year…” 

Yumemi blinked, slowly peeking back up at Munto, watching his expression as he looked off to the horizon.

“To learn about the world, I needed to travel it, to see everything this world had to offer to both itself and my people. Of course, most people didn’t know I was there. I just had to observe and see what this place is like for people here on a daily basis. Of course...there’s so many lands here that it’s nearly overwhelming.”

“And on the other end,” Munto continued, “There were my people. Handling our new circumstances and helping them prepare to make contact with the world below. Most of our troubles have ended with the new abundance of Akuto, but...there’s always new troubles, up above.” A small chuckle trailed his words. 

Yumemi was looking up at him. All of that sounded so hard. And even lonely, in some parts. To travel the world in secret, probably alone. And then when he returned to be with his people, it was mostly the business of being the ruler of a kingdom. Did he rest properly? Was he okay, after such a year? Even with all her longing...she still had friends to rely on.

“I really am sorry for not coming sooner,” Munto finally looked down at her, meeting her eyes with a genuine look on his face, “I know it sounds like a stupid reason, and I’ll do anything to make it up to you. But...I wanted to prepare all of this before seeing you again. I wanted to come home with everything done. Just so I wouldn’t need to leave so frequently.”

Yumemi looked at him with a small smile, “It’s okay...I’m just glad to see you again. I...thought about you this entire year.”

“I’m glad,” Munto gave a sheepish smile.

Her heart felt full, and she felt content. That is, until she began to think more about what he said. Munto wanted to do everything before seeing her. He wanted to come home after it was all handled. 

He wanted to come… _home_.

Yumemi’s cheeks burned red. He didn’t just say what she thought he did...did he? To say that she was his home...it was like a confession for people in the heavens...right? Did he just confess to her? But he wasn’t even reacting like he did! Was the memories she had from him wrong? Did she misinterpret something? 

“Hm?” Munto tilted his head, “What’s wrong?”

“Y-You said…” Yumemi stammered, “You wanted to come...home. To me?”

Munto blinked. And then his cheeks turned the same shade as his hair. 

“W-Well...I, um, maybe said it…”

“You did say it.”

“I did…” Munto looked away, and she could see his ears burning red, “And...maybe I meant it.”

Yumemi blinked, turning red, “M-Maybe?”

“What would you think if I did?”

She fell silent, her heart beating loud in her chest. A thousand thoughts raced through her head as she tried to process this between her already-flustered emotions. 

“I-I…” Yumemi swallowed, looking away, “If you do mean it...I-I know how you can make a year up to me…”

“And...what would that be?’

Yumemi flustered up, wanting to hide her face, “Kiss me.”

Munto immediately looked at her, his face bright red. The wind began to pick up around them...as they began to fall right out of the sky.

“M-Munto!” Yumemi cried out, clinging right onto him as the wind began to whip up from below. 

“Sorry!” Munto quickly slowed the descent, holding her tightly in his arms, “I just...um…” 

Her eyes traced up to him, his hair a mess now and his cheeks still burning red. Was she too bold to ask? She...had never asked a boy to kiss her before. Oh no...she asked in a wrong way, didn’t she? And to the boy she’d been waiting such a long time for, too…!

She opened her mouth to apologize, to wind back her request. But before she could say anything, Munto held her firmly in one arm, his other hand reaching up to caress her cheek, his thumb tracing between the corner of her mouth and the line of her jaw. In mere seconds, Yumemi was frozen, locked into a golden gaze as he began to lean in closer...closer…

Until his lips met her own. 

Yumemi had never kissed a boy before. She was always told by Suzume and Ichiko that it was sometimes awkward. Sometimes clumsy. Sometimes forgettable. But...this felt special. This felt like her heart bursting from her chest, a fluttering feeling floating up her body, like she herself could float if Munto ever let go. And she felt content to remain in this moment, to even dare to kiss him more, if he should want it. 

When they parted, it felt much too short, but Yumemi was left stunned, looking up at him with flushed cheeks and a wonderful feeling enveloping her entire body. She felt so nice. She felt at _home_. 

“Was that alright?” Munto asked, looking sheepish as he pulled further away.

“P...Perfect…” Yumemi spoke, feeling nearly speechless. 

He made a little affirming noise, nodding in response and looking away, “G-Good...I’m glad…” 

The two of them remained like that a while, with Yumemi settling down from the highs to a comfortable feeling. And soon, she realized just how ridiculous they were being. 

Just like thirteen year olds on a first date.

Yumemi began to giggle, her body slowly shaking in his arms.

“What?” Munto spoke, “Why are you laughing?”

“No reason…” Yumemi only giggled more.

“Really? Can’t be laughing at nothing.”

“I mean it, really!”

“Are you sure?” Munto began to fly off with her tight in his arms, a cocky little grin on his face, “Come on...spill it…”

“Munto! Slow down!”

“Never,” Munto spoke, flying faster and faster between the heavens and the earth. Yumemi could only laugh, holding on tight as they passed by countless buildings, by trees, by the sands of a beach and an ocean returning to shore. 

And despite the teasing and the laughter, of a man in black darting further towards the horizon, Yumemi knew there was nowhere she would rather be.

Yumemi was home.


End file.
